AUTOMATING FUNCTIONALITY TEST CASES

• US 20150007149A1
• Filed: 09/19/2014
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maddela, Hari Kiran
• Granted Patent: US 9,477,583 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3684 for test design, e.g. generating new test cases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3696 Methods or tools to render software testable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management

Abstract

A computer implemented method and system including techniques for developing and executing automated test cases are described herein. In one embodiment, a test case automation tool provides functionality for defining an automated test set and associated test cases within a testing user interface without the use of scripting languages or compiled programming. The definition of each test case may occur within a testing user interface, including displaying and receiving user selection of available methods for testing; displaying user parameter fields and receiving user parameter values in response for testing; abstracting parameter types in the user parameter values; and generating XML-format definitions of the test case. The test case automation tool may then execute the selected methods of the software application using parameters provided in the XML-format definitions, and return testing results of the test case execution.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A computer implemented method, comprising:

generating a web services client method by parsing a definition of a web service formatted in Web Services Description Language (WSDL);

defining an automated test case within a testing user interface, the defining including;

displaying a listing of one or more methods from one or more software applications available for test case execution including the web services client method;

receiving selection input of a selected method from a selected software application for the test case execution;

displaying parameter fields of the selected method;

receiving selected parameter values for the parameter fields for use in the test case execution; and

generating an XML-format definition of the automated test case, the XML-format definition specifying the selected method and the selected parameter values.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the selected parameter values for the parameter fields are received as user input.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

executing the automated test case, including executing the selected method from the selected software application according to the selected parameter values included in the XML-format definition of the automated test case.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the parameter values are abstracted to parameter types for execution of the selected method.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

outputting results from execution of the automated test case including;

a pass status when the results from execution of the selected method match an expected result; and

a fail status when the results from execution of the selected method do not match the expected result.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein outputting results from execution of the automated test case further includes outputting at least one of:

expected and actual results from execution of the selected method;

a pass or fail status from execution of the selected method;

a stack trace for debugging execution of the selected method and the automated test case; and

test data generated from execution of the automated test case.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving selection input of additional selected methods from the one or more software applications available for test case execution.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving input defining an automated test set, the automated test set comprising a set of two or more automated test cases, wherein;

the set of two or more automated test cases include the automated test case; and

each test case provides for automated test execution of at least one method of one or more software applications.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving further input establishing dependencies between multiple automated test cases of the automated test set, wherein results of executing the selected method in the automated test case are defined in the automated test set as parameter values for at least one method of a second automated test case of the automated test set.

11. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium, within instructions stored there on that are executable by at least one processor of a machine to cause the machine to perform data processing activities, the activities comprising:

generating a web services client method by parsing a definition of a web service formatted in Web Services Description Language (WSDL);

defining an automated test case within a testing user interface, the defining including;

displaying a listing of one or more methods from one or more software applications available for test case execution including the web services client method;

receiving selection input of a selected method from a selected software application for the test case execution;

displaying parameter fields of the selected method;

receiving selected parameter values for the parameter fields for use in the test case execution; and

generating an XML-format definition of the automated test case, the XML-format definition specifying the selected method and the selected parameter values.

12. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the selected parameter values for the parameter fields are received as user input.

13. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 11, the data processing activities further comprising:

executing the automated test case, including executing the selected method from the selected software application according to the selected parameter values included in the XML-format definition of the automated test case.

14. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the parameter values are abstracted to parameter types for execution of the selected method.

15. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 13, the data processing activities further comprising:

outputting results from execution of the automated test case including;

a pass status when the results from execution of the selected method match an expected result; and

a fail status when the results from execution of the selected method do not match the expected result.

16. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein outputting results from execution of the automated test case further includes outputting at least one of:

expected and actual results from execution of the selected method;

a pass or fail status from execution of the selected method;

a stack trace for debugging execution of the selected method and the automated test case; and

test data generated from execution of the automated test case.

17. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 11, the data processing activities further comprising:

receiving selection input of additional selected methods from the one or more software applications available for test case execution.

18. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 11, the data processing activities further comprising:

receiving input defining an automated test set, the automated test set comprising a set of two or more automated test cases, wherein;

the set of two or more automated test cases include the automated test case; and

each test case provides for automated test execution of at least one method of one or more software applications.

19. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 18, the data processing activities further comprising:

receiving further input establishing dependencies between multiple automated test cases of the automated test set, wherein results of executing the selected method in the automated test case are defined in the automated test set as parameter values for at least one method of a second automated test case of the automated test set.

20. A computing system configured for automated test case definition and execution, the computing system comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to perform data processing activities, the data processing activities comprising;

generating a web services client method by parsing a definition of a web service formatted in Web Services Description Language (WSDL);

defining an automated test case within a testing user interface, the defining including;

displaying a listing of one or more methods from one or more software applications available for test case execution including the web services client method;

receiving selection input of a selected method from a selected software application for the test case execution;

displaying parameter fields of the selected method;

receiving selected parameter values for the parameter fields for use in the test case execution; and

generating an XML-format definition of the automated test case, the XML-format definition specifying the selected method and the selected parameter values.

21. The computing system of claim 20, wherein the data processing activities further include:

executing the automated test case, including executing the selected method from the selected software application according to the selected parameter values included in the XML-format definition of the automated test case.